Thank you Capt. Mike. I respect your opinions and I'm happy to hear another Vet got a license. Yes, it's a great license for a retired guy. For Veterans, the bypass of the financial requirements is enormous and allows him to apply for the Food Fish License lottery. Got to be in it to win it. There are other licenses you can apply for too, like a crab license and again it's a lottery. If I remember right, for a non-Vet to apply for a FF license you have to make 50% of your earnings from commercial fishing for three years and back it up with tax returns. I don't believe the earnings need to be concurrent and the financial requirement might have changed but it's very difficult to meet. I love the Veteran program and I truly feel it will actually help in conservation when a Veteran gets one of these licenses. Getting a Food Fish License isn't going to allow you to become a full time commercial fisherman. It's a limited license that allows you to become, for the most part, a pin hooker who is allowed to sell his/her catch. It also opens the season window for certain fish. Many fish like fluke and striped bass are not a species that you can commercially sell with a FF license. That takes a special license which is very difficult/impossible to get. Porgies, seabass, bluefish, triggers, blowfish and of course blackfish are allowed to be caught and sold with the FFL. For blackfish, you have to have to have tags which are available through the DEC. They are strict in the accounting of the blackfish you harvest. You will not be issued a new license if you don't account for all of your tags. To own a dragger or become a striped bass or fluke fisherman in NY waters, it takes other licenses. Most are under a moratorium and almost impossible to get. The FF license does cost you an annual fee of $250 and it includes paperwork. Every month, by the 15th, you have to send in paperwork detailing what you caught the month before. If you did not fish, you have to report that too. I just got a letter from the DEC and it seems the holders of a FF license will have to report their catch daily through an app on your phone, computer or if you are not computer savvy, paperforms. I'm not exactly sure if this is completely correct it's just coming out and I could be wrong. Seems there are meetings that fishermen can go to to be schooled in the new reporting system. My point, the paperwork is busy work that you have to keep up with. From what it sounds like, the new rules might reduce the ability to overfish. I will report back when I know more or if someone else knows, let's hear it. Having a Food Fish License will not make you rich. For most, it pays the trip expenses legally. There is a saying, a commercial fisherman can become moderately wealthy if he starts out filthy rich.
